#cska Moscow

[stereax]

[brb-counting-stars]

SERGEI FEDOROV, after leading the CSKA Moscow to back-to-back Gagarin Cup wins.

[viandede-porque]

Do you even remember such a thing as Dzyubinfeev

[chunkletskhl]

Happy Birthday to the magical Valery Kharlamov, who would have turned 75 years old today. Such unbelievable skill... (Image Source)

[belgradeoldschool]

12.kolo evrolige: partizan - monako 89:85 (5.12.2023)

[futzilka]

[nicoloschira]

Koray Gunter has turned down 3 bids in September: CSKA Moscow, Besiktas and Dinamo Zagreb wanted him, but the turkish centre-back has decided to stay at Verona even if he is not in coach Baroni’s plans.

[danndelio]

😭😭😭

[stereax]

Hello! I am writing a paper for a law school class on transnational courts about the IIHF and NHL-Russia player transfers. I’m starting with the Fedotov mess and looking for a thesis from there. I have found great stuff on litigation from the early 2000s and player transfer agreements with other leagues under previous CBAs but very little current info. I’m also looking for any updates on Fedotov since the IIHF’s ruling in August and Russia ignoring it. I know he’s playing in the KHL now. Did the Flyers just let it go because there isn’t anything they can do? Any help/ideas/resources would be much appreciated!!

I love you for this, so so so much. You've combined just about all of my interests in one ask. I'll give you the very concise version of it here, for public consumption. You might know most of this already, and I'm sorry if this doesn't help that much - but DM me for more info. I can and will go searching with you. Hell, if you want, you can "interview" me via Discord or via DMs here and cite me as a source. (I've done that a lot with my friends for papers hahaha, asked them their thoughts and then cited it.) Under the cut, as always! 💜

As you're probably aware, the IIHF is the leading organizer of ice hockey stuff around the world. I believe it's them that organize the Worlds and World Juniors, and they also have international standards for things like rink size. (Of course, the NHL plays on a nonstandard rink, so...) Importantly, however, the IIHF has very little legal power. It is difficult for them to fully enforce their decisions - especially when it comes to a country that won't listen.

Ivan Fedotov was a seventh-round selection of the Philadelphia Flyers in 2015. He has been playing primarily in the KHL since. In 2021-22, he backstopped CSKA Moscow to the Gagarin Cup (the KHL's version of the Stanley Cup) in what was widely considered a "breakout" year. Following this, in his last year of eligibility, Philadelphia signed him to a one-year entry-level contract (ELC), with the intent of bringing him to Philly and seeing if he could be a good enough goaltender at the NHL level (presumably to be the backup to Carter Hart) or even the AHL level. This is where things get screwy.

Fedotov is arrested shortly after the ELC is signed under the "charge" of avoiding the Russian army draft (understand that this was most likely a politically motivated arrest). He spends the next year at a fairly remote Russian military base, only communicating with the Flyers once in this entire year. He was allowed to continue training part-time, but not to the level he could otherwise have. So the ELC slides one year.

In the summer of 2023, Philly tries to get Fedotov overseas again... only to find that he's signed a two-year deal with CSKA Moscow. Now, the NHL and KHL used to have transfer agreements, but the NHL cut these agreements after the Russian invasion of Ukraine. However, Fedotov has two contracts, and he clearly can't play in two places at once. What happens?

The IIHF steps in, and decides that Fedotov's ELC with Philly should be honored - and that he and CSKA Moscow were not allowed to sign a contract with the ELC in place. They ban Fedotov from playing for 4 months and CSKA Moscow from being able to sign non-domestic players (international transfers) for one year.

Before I continue, something to be aware of with sports in Russia: certain teams are sponsored by the state and oligarchs far more than others. This is true with Russian soccer and also true with Russian football. CSKA Moscow, in particular, is one of the most-supported teams and is notable for its ties with the Russian army. Its dominance during the Soviet era was because it could literally draft the best hockey players (and I mean draft as in draft like for the army). It's currently owned by Rosneft, an oil company that's majority owned by the Russian government. (SKA Saint Petersburg is another of these highly-supported teams, for what that's worth.)

So CSKA Moscow, sort of predictably, flips off the IIHF. And starts Fedotov. In their first game. The IIHF can't really do much - it hits CSKA Moscow with a 5000 CHF fine (laughable) and threatens to refer it, and Fedotov, to the IIHF Disciplinary Board if they keep doing it. They keep doing it. Of course. The KHL's president claims that the 4-month ban threatens Fedotov's Russian constitutional right to work and that they will thusly disregard the ruling. As of November 2nd, Fedotov is still playing in the KHL - he just recorded a shutout, actually.

The Flyers really can't do much, outside of pressure the IIHF, which has little concrete power, to levy more punishments (and the IIHF has gone quiet about this too). Philly could try to, theoretically, smuggle Fedotov out of Russia a la Malkin, but you can only imagine what the Russian government will do to Fedotov and his family if he tries to defect. Especially because Fedotov's what, 26? 27? And goalies don't tend to have a long shelf life. Even if he came to the States, and played some games in the NHL, would those precious few years be worth the wellbeing of him and his family? Probably not. Again, since the NHL and KHL no longer have a transfer agreement, Philly and CSKA Moscow would have to come to terms on their own - and CSKA Moscow isn't keen on giving up their current star tendy to play in likely the AHL.

And remember, Philly also has Matvei Michkov now. Whose father recently died under "mysterious circumstances". And it's rumored those circumstances had to do with Michkov's father trying to terminate his son's KHL contract to send him to America sooner. That's also a factor here that must be considered - is it better to play nice with the KHL now and give up on Fedotov to be able to bring Michkov stateside?

The situation is incredibly complicated; unfortunately, there seems to be no easy end in sight, and probably very little chance of Fedotov seeing NHL ice in his career. The war in Ukraine also complicates this, and that is currently locked at a stalemate, so... good luck there.

Alright, that's my little lecture. If you need anything else, do DM me! I can see what else I can do as well :)

[viandede-porque]

@callmelikeagenieinthebottle Is it true? 😔

[chunkletskhl]

Some action around the goalmouth of CDSA Moscow (now CSKA), wearing the dark sweaters, during a 1952 game against Spartak. I'm not sure of very many player identifications in this one, but that's Grigory Mkrtychan in goal for CDSA, and it sure looks like Anatoly Tarasov guarding the slot behind the three skaters in the foreground.

Note the early protective equipment: the elbow pads worn outside the sweaters of all three CKSA skaters, the cycling helmet worn by the Spartak attacker in the foreground, and what seems to be water-polo headgear on the CDSA defenceman just behind him.

The site of the game is almost certainly the Central Lenin Stadium in Moscow (now the Luzhniki).

(Image Source)

[onlyblackandwhitebelgrade]

Братья

[historyistold]

לוקומוטיב קובאן ניצחה את צסק״א מוסקבה בפלייאוף חצי גמר הליגה, בתוצאה 103-100, במשחק השביעי בסדרת המשחקים של הטובה מ־7. אחרי הניצחון לוקומוטיב עלתה ל־4-3 בסדרה והעפילה לגמר הליגה, לראשונה מאז 2013. אז היא הפסידה לצסק״א בגמר.

בגמר הליגה, לוקומוטיב תפגוש את המנצחת בין זניט סנקט פטרבורג (האלופה המכהנת) לאוניקס קאזאן בחצי הגמר השני במשחק המכריע שיתקיים הערב. לצסק״א זו הפעם הרביעית בלבד בהיסטוריה שהיא לא זוכה באליפות רוסיה (אחרי 2001, 2002 ו־2022) והפעם השנייה ברציפות, אחרי שזניט גברה עליה בגמר האחרון.

[sudden-stops-kill]

gagarin cup

[thedissociatives]